The following description relates to a system for actuating a gear shift lever lock solenoid, and in particular, a system for actuating a gear shift lever lock solenoid upon movement of a gear shift lever from a “park” position.
A gear shift lever lock solenoid may be implemented in a vehicle as a brake transmission shift interlock (BTSI) solenoid. The BTSI solenoid inhibits a gear shift lever from shifting out of a park position unless a brake of the vehicle is depressed.
Traditional BTSI solenoids may be operated by a controller. With reference to FIG. 1, at S1, the BTSI solenoid initially inhibits movement of the gear shift lever from the park position. At S2, the controller may detect if an operator is applying a brake pedal of the vehicle. If the controller does not detect that the brake pedal is being applied, the BTSI continues to inhibit movement of the gear shift lever. If the controller detects that the brake is being applied, the controller checks if the gear shift lever is in the park position at S3. At S4, if the gear shift lever is not in the park position, the controller does not actuate the BTSI solenoid. At S5, if the gear shift lever is in the park position, the controller actuates the BTSI solenoid to allow movement of the gear shift lever from the park position.
In the traditional BTSI solenoid system above, the BTSI solenoid is actuated whenever the brake is applied with the gear shift lever in the park position, regardless of whether the gear shift lever is being shifted out of the park position. As result, noise associated with the actuation of the BTSI solenoid is generated whenever the brake is depressed, even if the gear shift lever is not moved. In addition, every time the BTSI solenoid is actuated, a strain is placed on the solenoid thereby reducing the service life of the BTSI solenoid.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a system in which the BTSI solenoid is actuated only when the gear shift lever is moved from the park position, thereby reducing noise generation and improving service life.